St Peter wilted on each of the first three times he was asked but John Treacy took until the fourth press by Sinn Féin TD Imelda Munster before he delivered the line of the four-hour marathon yesterday in front of the Oireachtas Committee investigating matters relating to the FAI.

The question ‘Do you have confidence in the board of the FAI,’ gained greater weight each time she asked and Treacy eventually succumbed, audibly swallowing before saying “well, I’m not saying yes.”

While technically an abstention it said a lot, particularly when seen in the context of the clear anger and frustration over the lack of what Sport Ireland saw as a credible answer from the FAI over the circumstances of the €100,000 loan.

The latest missive from Abbottstown, hand-delivered across the National Sports Campus as Treacy was on hand to launch Paralympics Ireland’s new strategic plan, came only hours before he took his seat in the Committee Room.

It did not contain the answers that he and Sport Ireland had sought and he may have been inspired by the title of the document in his hand – ‘Success Takes More’ as he volleyed back again to say ‘we want more and we want it ahead of next Tuesday’s Sport Ireland Board Meeting.’

That will be 24 hours ahead of what might, or might not, be the end game in this latest swirl of accusations and allegations, when John Delaney, Rea Walshe, Donal Conway and an expanding cast of characters from the FAI take the seats occupied yesterday by Treacy and Kieran Mulvey.

The Committee was urged to be on best behaviour yesterday, mindful of legal challenges surrounding the Public Accounts Committe, and they had done their research.

Munster got the killer line, which all elected representatives like to do, but Catherine Murphy and Ruth Coppinger were perhaps the most forensic of the questioners.  Noel Rock described the FAI response that there was a review under way as insulting while Coppinger more colourfully suggested it was a two fingered response.

The detail of why a loan was needed was described as ‘astounding’ by Pdraig Ó’Céidigh, the fact of their being no independent directors of the FAI ‘shocking’ by Frank Feighan and the FAI’s apparent efforts to ‘sidestep’ inquiry as ‘brazen’ by Murphy.

Like events in Westminster we know a lot more about how parliament works, or does not, than ever before and next week we will see just how far politicians can or might choose to go.

The FAI is after all a privately run organisation, governed more by UEFA regulations than any sporting ones here on the island of Ireland.  There are channels of Corporate law that can be used to investigate any problems in that area but fewer in terms of the more emotional concept of what constitutes good management, if not good governance.

There are shades of grey in all areas of life and it is not always possible to box them into black or white.  In sport that’s a diffiucult concept to grasp as most of what we do is binary.

Politics is more about the art of compromise and edging towards what may be seen as a least worst if not a best case ending.

The work of the FAI goes on.  In most cases it is inspiring and can energise the nation.

Tonight at the Aviva Stadium the draw for the finals of the UEFA U17 European Championships take place.  That will see the very best of Europe’s young soccer stars play in Dublin, Waterford and Longford and create a spectacle as a precursor of the magic that will descend on Dublin next year for the Euro 2020 finals.

Most of the politicians were anxious to distance themselves from FAI hospitality and were at pains to suggest they would not be taking a glass or a pastry at tonight’s event.  That in itself is not right.  This is a major European event, being hosted in Ireland and we are casting aside our Céad Míle Fáilte to score a political point, egged on by social and mainstream media.  If it’s OK to attend a Kylie Minogue concert, surely it’s OK to shake a few hands of our European colleagues.

Getting back to St Peter, and if you are lost by these ramblings, then I share your pain and confusion, he was ultimately granted redemption and retained his place at the top table.

Perhaps John Delaney will be hoping for a similar outcome and for his good works to be taken into account when weighing up the swirl that surrounds him once more.

This is going to be some book when it’s written.

We will be sending invitations to Members to attend our May Round Table on the subject of Reputation Management next week.  That should be interesting.